The Cherry Girl
by Aomori Miki
Summary: "The Cherry Girl" is mainly about the story of a certain red-headed girl that is trying to fit in with the other Vocaloids. Little does she know that very unexpected boys are crushing on the new chick, but in the end she only has her eye on one guy... "The Cherry Girl" is about Miki's journey in the Vocaloid Mansion to becoming a respected, inspirational and true Vocaloid! Read on!
1. The Mansion

Chapter One

Miku sighs, and looks out her bedroom window. It is early morning, and no one is up yet. The only thing she sees outside is a single hummingbird, flitting to and fro. She smiles as she realizes that the little creature is almost the exact same color as her pigtails! Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she starts singing. In her voice is the sweet sound of true love and Miku opens her teal-colored eyes, grabs onto her windowsill, and sings for the world.

On the other side of the enormous Vocaloid Mansion, Luka is covering her head with a pillow and closing her eyes tightly. This is an attempt to block out Miku's loud singing. To Luka's dismay, it isn't working very well. She can still hear her voice through the thick pink fabric. Exasperated, she rolls her eyes, stalks to her door, opens it and yells,

"MIKU, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?" Out of breath, Luka puts her hands on her hips, her rose-colored hair hanging around her face and waits for Miku to answer her. Breathing heavily, she rolls her eyes again, and holds her head. Suddenly, she spots Miku's head looking down from the top of the staircase. She's clothed in a light turquoise nightdress and the same colored slippers. As the girl makes her way down the stairs, Luka waits at the bottom, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Seriously, Miku! Since the day you came here, it has always been the same with you. Every morning, you start singing and wake up the whole house! Can't you just quiet down for once?" Feeling a bit guilty, Luka sees the ashamed look on Miku's face, and as Miku looks her in the eyes, she can't help but smile at her innocence.

"Oh Miku," sighing, Luka envelops the pigtailed girl in a warm, friendly hug, and kisses the top of her head. Miku hugs Luka tight and offers her the smallest of smiles.

"So, what time is it, really?" Miku breaks away and sits on the marble staircase. Sitting beside her, Luka answers.

"I don't know. Well, you probably woke up the whole house anyway!" Luka winks and points upstairs. "You'd better get dressed, Miku-chan. No worries, I'm on breakfast duty today." Luka heads for the kitchen after seeing Miku off. She figured she still had a bit of time to get something ready for the other Vocaloids before she had to get changed. Yawning, she enters the modern kitchen.

The Vocaloid Kitchen was probably the most high-tech kitchen for miles around. The counters were white, pink and grey granite, giving a pastel-like feel to the place. There was a small island in the middle, and the fridge and freezer to the left. The pantry was to the right of the main door while the stove and twin ovens made up the rest. Truly, it was quite a place. For Luka, it was also her haven, a spot where she could cook undisturbed. On top of that, there was also a window that lit up the whole place. Luka opened the window to let some fresh air into the stuffy kitchen. Breathing in deeply, she prepared herself for another busy day at the Vocaloid Mansion.

First, she got out the Belgian Waffle maker. Opening the pantry, there was a nail on the inside part of the door, and from there hung twelve colored aprons, judging from (usually) the color of the Vocaloid's hair. Spotting the salmon-colored one on the top, she plucked it from the nail and slammed the pantry door. Surprisingly, it closed with a muted _click_. _Now,_ she thought, _time to make the batter_. Stretching her long fingers, Luka yawned and closed her eyes. After a moment, she snapped her eyes open and began making the batter. Before long, the aroma of freshly made waffles filled the house, from west to east side. Sniffing deeply, Luka let out a satisfied sigh. Perfect.


	2. A Rumor

Chapter Two

One floor up from the kitchen, Kaito snapped his eyes open and sniffed deeply. _Mmm,_ he thought. _Breakfast! Waffles, I bet. _Jumping from his royal blue bed, Kaito didn't even bother to throw a shirt on. When it came to breakfast, he was _always_ first. And, of course, he didn't want to break that record… Soon enough, he was seated at the dark oak dining table with fork in one hand and knife in the other, watching Luka's every move. Finally, he spoke from his usual seat - four down from the head of the table where Gaku's regal figure always sat.

"Hey, Luka-chan? When are you going to be ready? We're all hungry, you know." Licking his lips, Kaito looked pointedly down at his empty plate. Glaring at him for a moment, Luka turned back to the waffle maker.

"Patience is a virtue, Kaito; one that you don't have. There's no one at the table other than you. Who are you talking about – your imaginary friend?" Dying to get Kaito off her back, Luka looked him up and down and decided make some use of the forever hungry (and charming) blue-haired teen. Beating the last of the flour from her pale hands, she began giving Kaito orders, while he stared back, stunned.

"Do this for me. Put cutlery, napkins, the fruit bowl, placemats, flowers, plates and cups on the table. After you're done, for the love of music, put a shirt on. Then wake all of the other Vocaloids and get them down here. Can you do that for me, Kaito?" With hands on hips, Luka waited for a response from the stunned kid. Luka could be strict when she wanted to. That thought gave her comfort, and she stood a little straighter.

"Uh… yeah. Sure thing." She smirked at Kaito's facial expression, and under her breath said,

"That's what I thought." Luka served a waffle on everyone's plates, and opened the doors leading to the hall that went up the stairs. _Well_, she thought, _if Kaito won't wake them up, that smell sure will!_ Like a gunshot, Kaito was off. When you got him working, the kid could really get stuff done. Luka washed her hands and said that she would take over from there. Kaito nodded, and went upstairs to get a shirt on. Though he did look great without one… Luka shook her head to clear it. Did she actually just think that about_ Kaito_? She must be out of her mind! That kid was so annoying, he even got on Luka's nerves, and that was worth something. Besides, she had her eye on another man. Particularly the one that would soon sit at the head of the table…

Meanwhile, Miku and Rin were gossiping under the stairs.

"Hey, have you heard?" whispered Miku. Her eyes were bright and shining, and Rin could tell that Miku would explode if she didn't tell someone what she had in mind. Smiling, and brushing her golden hair out of her eyes, she asked what Miku had heard.

"Well," the girl said, "why don't we go out? It's too cramped in here. C'mon, let's go!" Loving to keep people in suspense, Miku skipped out from under the stairs and sat on one of the lower stairs. Then Miku patted a seat next to her for Rin to sit down. Rin sat and waited for Miku to continue. Licking her lips, Miku let everything escape her lips. In a whisper of course. Every so often, Miku would look around and see if everyone was watching her, and then continue.

"Oh, Rin! You'll never guess what I found out. You have to _swear _to keep it a secret, though. Okay, here's how I found out - Luka told Gaku who told your brother who told Meiko who told Kaito who told me to keep this a secret!" Rin nodded along. Of course, she didn't understand a thing Miku was saying. If only Miku could just get to the point! "Rin, are you listening? Goodness, I promised to keep the secret… But I have to tell someone, or I'll go crazy! See, there's a rumor going around that there is a new Vocaloid! I don't know if it's a girl or a boy… I want it to be a girl, though. Maybe my age? We really need some younger people here. Everyone's so _old_. I mean, no offense to Luka and Gaku, but still…" As Miku kept going on about sharing a room with the new girl and being welcoming, Luka was leaning against the doorway leading to the kitchen. Rin nodded along and giggled when Miku began planning a cake for the girl. Miku, a cake? Yeah, right. The cook here was Luka. As they whispered, little did either of them know that Luka had heard everything. And Luka _hated_ rumors.


	3. An Announcement

Chapter Three

Determined to teach those two troublesome girls a lesson, Luka took off her apron, threw it on the floor and was about to wake everyone up by force when they all came down the stairs. Luka was pleased that she didn't have to do anything when Kaito had woken up and would do what she wanted him to. Clearing her throat, Luka spoke with her head held high.

"Breakfast is served. We also have a meeting. After breakfast, everyone will meet in the living room. Fair?" Everyone else nodded and murmured their agreements. Miku and Rin locked eyes for a second with worried looks on their faces. Luka enjoyed their squirming. They had to be taught not to gossip. And Luka, for one, would teach them. Everyone settled into their chairs with Gakupo at the head of the table. He bowed his head and began to speak quietly to the pink haired lady on his right side. No one paid any attention – they were too busy eating their waffles. Somewhere to his right, Gaku heard Len asking for the whipped cream.

"Luka?" he asked, seemingly shy to disrupt Luka while she was eating. Swallowing quickly, Luka looked him in the eye and furrowed her brow.

"Yes? Is something wrong, Gakupo? You seem quiet today." Though Gakupo was almost always quiet, Luka sensed uneasiness in the air by him. Sitting straighter, he spoke hesitantly.

"Why did you call a meeting? Is it something about the new Vocaloid?" Gaku dug into his waffle, and took a sip of orange juice, waiting for Luka's answer. She nodded and Gaku relaxed a little.

"Oh. Alright. Well, I got some new information about… her." Luka didn't try to hide her surprise. It was a girl? She was almost certain that the new Vocaloid would be a guy! Shaking off her first taste of being wrong, Luka probed Gakupo for details. He held up a finger and grabbed another waffle from the towering stack in the middle of the table. _Patience, Luka. Be patient._

"Well, it appears she's… different. Something went wrong when they created her. It's nothing to worry about. Her voice is fine, it's just her appearance is a little different."

"Oh, I see. Excuse me a moment, Gaku-chan." Walking to Gumi's chair near the end of the table, she looked down on the green-haired girl.

"Yes, Luka?" Tapping her foot, Luka gestured at the nearly whole waffle in the middle of her plate. Gumi smiled up at her. "Oh, I'm not hungry. I'm on a diet, you know. You have to keep your shape in check somehow." Gumi smirked. "Would you like it?" Rolling her eyes, she said no one here would ever need to go on a diet.

"What? You think there are too many calories, Gumi?" Luka snorted and stalked away. Instantly, Haku, Meiko, Gumi and Teto began gossiping about the new Vocaloid. Luka could hear them from her spot beside Gakupo.

"I hope it's a guy!"

"Oooh, he'd be so cute!"

"Dibs if he's hot!"

"Oh, come now, Haku. He wouldn't want someone who drinks as much as you do."

"Teto! That was mean! He'll like me, I bet. If his favorite color's green, he's mine!"

"What about you, Meiko?"

"Huh? Nah, I've got my eye on someone else…"

"Well, less competition for us!"

"Haha! I know, right?"

Everyone started heading to the living room. Soon enough, everybody was comfortable and ready to listen. Luka cleared her throat at Gumi and Teto who were glaring at each other in a mock fight. As everyone knew, they had connected immediately, and if they had a rare fight, it would never last long.

"To start us off, can Miku and Rin come to the front, please? Yes, stand over here, girls. This morning, I heard them gossiping about the new Vocaloid. I know all of you know what I'm talking about. I've called this meeting to notify you that gossipers are not tolerated. I am disappointed in you girls." Rin and Miku hung their heads. "I know you're sorry. Can you promise not to do that again?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Me too, Luka. We're sorry." Smiling at them, she gestured for Rin and Miku to return to their seats. They did so.

"I can tell you now that these rumors are true. I will not tell you if the Vocaloid is a girl or a boy, but either way, I expect you to welcome them warmly and with open arms. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded giddily. Jumping up and down in their seats, Gumi and Teto faced each other and squealed in delight.

Luka's cell-phone chimed in tune to the chorus of "Witch Hunt." Everyone quieted down. The whole mansion knew what that meant. Luka had gotten an email from the Creators. Specifically of the new Vocaloid. Skimming through the email, Luka widened her eyes and smiled. Looking up at the bewildered eyes in front of her, she announced,

"The new Vocaloid is coming a week from today!"

From there on out, that house would become a whirlwind of preparations and cleaning, preparing for the long-awaited arrival of a new member of the Vocaloid Mansion.


	4. Almost Home

Chapter Four

I'm dreaming. I can tell because I'm surrounded by… stuff. Tentatively brushing the matter surrounding me, I identify its color as blue, and its texture as wet. I wonder… Swimming for the surface, I realize that there is a gap of air at the top of this… capsule. Above me is a white ceiling. Reaching for it, my petite hand is met with a resistance. _Huh,_ I think. _What's blocking me?_ Pushing harder, I hold my breath, close my eyes and kick up. "Ouch!" A bright blossom of pain grows from my head. "That hurt." _I'm… talking! My voice is so melodic. _Looking around, I go underwater again and pound my fists against my invisible barrier. Finally, I get enough courage to open my eyes. Everything is slanting this way and that. I feel vibrations coursing up from below. _A woman – maybe she can help me!_ "Let me out! What am I doing here? Please, open the door. I'm alive, you know!" The lady looks stunned and does so. I'm suddenly sucked with the rest of the water filling a tank. _Thump. I fell, shoot! Now they'll think I'm weak…_

"Atsuka! The hydration is ready. She's awake." Facing me, the lady crouches down to my level and runs her fingers through her hair worriedly. A crease in her brow, she grips my chin, moving it this way and that. "Can you talk, girl? Say your name." I don't know my name… How could I tell this to the woman?

"I don't have a name, miss. Do you know it?" Grinning shyly up at her, I bat my eyes for effect.

"I thought we programmed it in her brain! Atsuka, I _told _you she'd be better off with it already in there." Programmed it in my brain? What? It sounded like I was a robot or something! I tapped the lady's shoulder and got a peek at her nametag. It said Momoka. Alright, let's see if I was clever enough to use it. Righting myself and standing up, I tapped Momoka's shoulder.

"I'm not a robot, Momoka. Why was I in that tank full of water? I could have drowned!" Frowning at me and looking me up and down, I finally realized that… well, I didn't have any clothes on. Blushing fiercely and covering my breasts with both hands, I turned away and asked if they had any clothing. Momoka muttered that I "wasn't too far off with my robot thing."Momoka walked away and came back with a full outfit I turned to receive it and gasped.

That dress was like nothing I had ever seen before. Creamy white with a blue belt and a button that flashed "SF-A2," the dress had blue lining and came with a pair of boots that matched perfectly. On top of that, there were adorable gloves that went with everything. Lying lightly on top of the gown was a pair of blue earphones.

Finally, Momoka got exasperated and pushed the dress at me. I took it and turned around to change. At least I had the decency to not show my privates to the world. While I was putting on my headphones, I noticed something odd on my arm, exactly on my elbow. It looked a bit like where _parts_ would be fastened together. I looked on my other arm and found the same thing. My knees imitated the arms. Horrified, I ran over to Momoka, the nearest person I could find, looking through a file on a glossy white Mac.

"Momoka, my arms! What's wrong with them? What's wrong with _me_?" Stunned at my sudden appearance, Momoka took a moment to respond and took me to a nearby mirror.

"Don't worry about it. See your joints? It's just how you were created, how you were made. We can't change that, sweetie. It's the way you are, and you have to accept that." I nodded and wiped away hysterical tears that had fallen. I was okay. Turning towards Momoka again, I took instant hope and asked her a simple question, but a curious one nonetheless.

"What's my name?" Momoka visibly hesitated, but instead of answering, she chose to beckon me over to a computer. Printing out the document she was looking at earlier, Momoka handed it to me. It almost looked like a file… _my file,_ I realized. I read through it, and was shocked at what I found there.

December 4th, 2009 9:22 AM, AH-Software

Name: SF-A2, (Codename)Aomori Miki

Gender: Female

Designer: Yusuki Kozaki

Original Company: AH-Software

Affilation: Yamaha

Description: Red to dark pink hair, down to lower thigh, same colored eyes, tall.

Signature Food/Favorite Food: Cherry

Release Date: December 4th, 2009

Type: Android Vocaloid

December 4th, 2009 9:22 AM, AH-Software

Type: Android Vocaloid

After reading it over twice to make sure I wasn't imagining anything, Momoka took it and folded it up into and origami crane. I don't know how, but she made it fly! Smiling and laughing, I caught it and told her to do it again. Oh, what fun – I'd never seen anything as amazing as the little paper crane! A lady told us that we had to leave now, and rolled a red-pink suitcase to us. Momoka grabbed it, and handed it to me to roll it to a door that, I guessed, led outside.

Sure enough, there was a light dusting of snow resembling icing sugar on a cake, and a black BMW was in front of the doors. Momoka ushered me inside, said I was going to my new home and gave the man in the front instructions to go to someplace called the Vocaloid Mansion. Before long, we were off, cruising through Japan's countryside. I got a chance to wave goodbye to Momoka through the tinted windows, and turned towards the front of the car. The chauffer was very quiet most of the time, but made friendly enough conversation about the weather. As we drove, I watched rice farms roll by and quaint little houses painted odd colors whiz past. Soon enough, I was fast asleep, my cheek feeling nice against the cool glass of the sleek black car that would soon lead me to my mysterious new home.


	5. The Robot Girl

Chapter Five

After an eternity of driving through the countryside, I vaguely became aware of the car slowing down over the bumpy terrain and stopping with a jerk. With that, I sat up with a jolt, rubbed my eyes and yawned for a long time. The chauffer, whose name I had learned was Tsutomu, opened the door smoothly and offered his large hand. Smiling slightly, I accepted and hoisted myself up. Reaching for the car's glossy trunk handle, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned towards it and was met with Tsutomu's face shaking its head.

"It's all right, miss. I've got it. Why don't wait for me by the house?" I nodded and gestured for him to take over. He nodded back curtly and got to work taking my suitcase out of the trunk. I wandered around until I found myself face to face with the actual house.

Well, _house_ was an understatement. _Massive, extensive, gorgeous mansion_ was more like it. There were three cobblestone stairs leading up to the dark oak front door. It had intricate woodwork all around the perimeter of the door and a frosted window that took up about half of it. The doorknob was shiny and metallic, and had a soft golden sheen to it. Right outside the door was an odd mat that stated "Welcome Friends & Family" in big block letters. What was odd about it was that above the "Friends & Family" part, there was a slip of paper that read "NEW VOCALOID" in neat, feminine writing. I smiled. _How sweet!_, I thought. There was a bouquet of freshly picked flowers on either side of the door and a knocker similar to the doorknob that had a tiny letter "V" in the middle.

"Excuse me, miss. Can I get through here? Here's your suitcase. Knock on the door, then. They'll be expecting you. I've got to go now. Well, 'bye then! Have a good time!" Tsutomu waved and turned towards the black BMW. Before I knew it, he had disappeared in a cloud of earthy dust, and my first real taste of life along with it. After staring at the gorgeous countryside of this part of Japan, I finally took a deep breath and faced the knocker. I just had to knock it. That was all. I hesitated for a second and then knocked once - before I lost my nerve.

/.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\

Inside of the Vocaloid Mansion, it was complete and total chaos. Everyone was sitting at the table, in their original costumes that they were made with. Luka had heard the knock and was trying to bring down the loud buzz of expectation to a low hum. It hadn't been working very well for the last half an hour, but as soon as the members of the Mansion heard that single, meek knock at the front door, they had quieted down immediately, ready to listen to Luka's orders. A bit flustered at the sudden attention, Luka brushed her skirt and said, "Everyone in order in front of the door. It's the new Vocaloid! On your best behavior, or _else._" Luka narrowed her eyes for effect. Everyone nodded like bobbleheads, impatient to be introduced to the new girl. Luka walked over to the door and opened it slowly. A girl was waiting on the steps, her face facing the countryside. Her hair was the most spectacular color, a reddish-pink that glowed in the early morning sun. Hearing something, the girl turned her head towards Luka.

/.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\

There was a girl standing in front of me. Her hair was salmon pink and eyes a sky blue. Her face was welcoming but also a tad impassive. She smiled at me, and I took courage in that. I blinked and stuttered, "H-hi. I'm SF-A2. But my real name's Miki. Aomori Miki. Nice to meet you…" I petered off a bit and looked at my shoes. How dumb was I? They obviously already knew what I was called.

The girl, to my surprise, held out her hand. I shook it. "I'm Megurine Luka. Just call me Luka. I'm the head of the house here at the Vocaloid Mansion. We're so glad to have you here with us!" Luka smiled widely and gestured towards other people that were in a line in front of the door. She snatched my suitcase and rolled it off to one side. Placing a hand at the small of my back, she pointed at the people and announced, "These are all of the other Vocaloids that live here. They'll introduce themselves." I nodded and started on the left of the line. A very energetic, teal-haired girl shook my hand vigorously.

"Hi! I'm Miku! I'm sooo happy you're here now! We're so excited! Yay! I like leeks by the way… what do you like?" Miku stared at me curiously and I answered,

"Cherries!" Miku nodded thoughtfully and hugged me. I hugged her back hard, and then moved on to the next person.

"Hi, I'm Rin and… welcome home, I guess. I bet we'll be friends!" Rin gave me a hug as well, her white bow bouncing around as she talked. "You'll love it here." She gestured to the boy to her left.

The boy she was pointing to was, to say it in one word, stunning. He had honey blonde hair, stunning aquamarine eyes and was overall super cute. I could feel myself blush while shaking his hand. _Miki! Stop blushing – he'll see!_ I looked down while he gazed at me intently. I could swear I saw his cheeks flush for a moment…

"I'm Len, Rin's twin brother. Nice to meet you...?" he murmured, asking for my name.

"Oh, it's Miki. Nice to meet you too!" He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. Looking down, I saw his cheeks go a bright pink. Stifling a giggle, I moved on to the next person who happened to be very tall…

The purple-haired male bowed and held out his hand. I let him take it, and he gave my fingers a light kiss. Then, he introduced himself.

"Gakupo. I'm pleased to have you with us, Miss Miki. I hope to get to know you better." I nodded and smiled at his sincerity. _A true gentleman_, I thought to myself.

The next person in line was a girl. She had brown hair, large cleavage and was dressed in a red outfit. She shook my hand, and I detected an odd glimmer in her eye… almost as if she'd been drinking.

"Meiko. 'Sup? Great to see you. Finally." Meiko slurred, and laughed. Turning away, I could hear gagging noises coming from her throat. _Drunk. Definitely drunk…_

A blue haired boy was next in line, and he was definitely interested in me, as he held out a hand abruptly. So abruptly, in fact, that it went straight into my breasts… The boy blushed, but let his eyes linger a little longer on them than necessary. I shook his hand, and he smiled at me, brushing a fringe of blue hair out of his eyes.

"I'm Kaito. At your service, anytime." Kaito winked at me, and I winked back. I heard him laugh behind my back.

Three girls were in a huddle when I came by. They glanced at me up and down, but didn't say hello. I said hello for them.

"Hi, I'm Miki! I'm new here. What are your names?" One of the girls with pink ringlets snorted at me, and put a hand on her hip.

"Why should I tell _you_, you little robot?" The girls all imitated doing the robot dance, and I turned away dejectedly. How mean!

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Everyone asked me questions about what I liked and kept saying that they loved my hair (Miku), that I was hot (Kaito) and that they should do an all girl's night with me sometime (Rin). On top of that, Gakupo complimented my headphones, Meiko said she liked my dress and Luka proclaimed that she adored how cute I was. I thanked everyone for their compliments, and when I thanked Kaito, he winked at me and said, "Anytime, Cherry Girl." Before I knew it, I was introduced to my new room.

My room was, for now, the study. Luka had set up a small makeshift bed in the middle of it, and had pushed all of the furniture aside. I thanked her for going to all of that trouble and rolled my suitcase over to sit by the door. Luka whispered goodnight to me, and everyone yelled it as well from their rooms. I did too, and I fell asleep in my clothes. For the first time, I felt like I belonged there, in my new home.


	6. Totally Teto

Chapter Six

I felt my eyes flutter open. Smiling, I remembered the events of last night's "welcoming," frowning at the memory of the group of girls who called me a robot. I sat up, determined to show them that I was just like them in every way. Maybe even better. Right then, I felt a sharp knock at my door. A muffled voice made its way through the polished oak.

"Are you awake, Miki?" Luka's voice was soothing and quiet. I nodded, and then remembered that she couldn't see me, and replied,

"Um, yeah, I'm awake. Come on in." The doorknob turned, and Luka's regal figure took up the doorway. I almost gasped aloud at her stunning beauty.

Luka's salmon hair was in subtle waves around her oval face. Her puddle-like eyes blinked, and her frame was perfect in every way. I thought that her long skirt looked almost medieval, and that suited her perfectly. She caught me staring, and almost colored a bit before she stood straighter and turned away from the doorway.

"Well, come along then. We have to show you the house." I nodded and followed her out, closing the door behind me with a muted _thud_. Before I knew it, Luka had already walked a few strides ahead of me. I jogged a bit to catch up, and then she opened the door to the kitchen.

Everyone's eyes were on me, and I looked down ashamedly. I totally should have woken up earlier – it was embarrassing to be the last person up. A girl with dark magenta ringlets had an empty seat beside her, and she offered me a small smile. I sat down quietly. Thankfully, everyone went back to eating.

"How did you sleep?" The girl asked. I sat up, stunned that she had spoken to me so soon. I replied that it was all right. Her bright, piercing laugh rang through the air, and she said, "Don't worry, Cherry Girl. You're room is all ready - you'll love it!" Sticking out her hand for me to shake, she gave me a huge smile with a twinkle in her eye and crowed,

"I'm Teto! You might remember me from yesterday…" Teto fidgeted uncomfortably, waiting for me to remember her calling me "Robot Girl." I shook my head, and gave her a hug.

"It's alright, Teto. Don't worry about it." She giggled, and then confessed that the other girls in that group had made her do it on a dare in Truth or Dare. I asked her what that was, and she stared at me as if it was some kind of joke that I didn't know what Truth or Dare was. Other conversations buzzed in the background. Teto promised she'd teach me sometime. Then we ate our breakfast in companionable silence. 


	7. The Great Escape

Chapter Seven

Before I knew it, breakfast had finished. Everyone's plates were scraped (and sometimes licked, KAITO) clean. As I headed for the sink to put my plate in the dishwasher, I noticed Kaito staring at me oddly. It was almost… _hungrily_, I thought. Then I felt Teto's soft nudge behind me, and realized that I was holding up the whole line. I think Teto noticed I was uneasy. She took my hand and swung it back and forth, back and forth. Teto tried to disguise her worried eyes with a huge smile.

"What's wrong Miki?" she rolled her eyes and tossed her magenta ringlets. I risked a glance at Kaito. "Is Kaito looking at you again? Don't worry, he does that to every newcomer. Though he usually lets off by the first day… Maybe he _likes_ you!" Teto jumped up and down, and then excused herself from my company to go up to Luka and whisper something to her. I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and unconsciously felt myself drawn to the far window to the right of the stove. It was very pretty out there…

Someone tapped my shoulder, but I ignored them, caught up in my own moment of bliss. Instead of tapping again or walking away, the mystery Vocaloid brushed my hair to one shoulder. This finally got my attention, so I turned around. I was so close to Kaito's face that I gasped.

"Kaito, what the heck?" I whispered, so as not to attract any unwanted attention. His deep eyes stared at me for a moment and winked. I blushed but forced myself to not let Kaito see my cheeks. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp (when had he gotten a hold of me?), but I was backed up into a corner of the counter, helpless and totally at his command. I could almost slap myself for being so stupid. His lips came close to my ear.

"I'm not drunk like Meiko, I'm just intoxicated by you." Kaito turned my head so that his face was facing mine. He gently pulled me towards him, and leaned down. I spotted his arms loosening, so I took a run for it, and run I did. Straight into Teto. I heard her shrill laugh, and she held up her hand for a High-5. A sharp _slap_ filled the air.

"Nice one, Miki-chan! He was definitely not expecting that." The rush of adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, so all I could do was nod at Teto's approving face. _You bet he wasn't!_, I thought to myself. I looked back at where Kaito had his arms crossed and glowered at me. That served him right! I smirked at him, and laughed harder than I had ever before. Talk about a Great Escape!


	8. Mine

Chapter Eight

After the little incident with Kaito, I felt a bit ashamed of myself. It seemed that he really liked me!

Oh well. He could have been nice about kissing me. Kaito practically threw himself at me! Before I knew it, Teto was skipping circles around me, laughing and chatting openly. Teto was obviously excited for the Vocaloids to show me my room. I was too, but Teto really showed her enthusiasm! I laughed at a joke she made about Miku ("She's turquoise with envy – get it?! Hahaha!"), and right at that moment, she actually came up to me. I had seen her close to where Teto and I were chatting, but I thought that she couldn't hear us from there. Apparently not… I felt her eyes bore into mine, burning up with fury. Her small fists were clenched at her sides, and even Teto cowered from her grotesquely cruel form.

"What did you say about me, you stupid girl?" Miku quivered in anger, and her eyes quickly transformed into seething slits. I desperately tried to find Teto and tell Miku that Teto was the one that had told the joke in the first place, I had only laughed. I didn't find her anywhere. The pinkette probably fled as soon as she saw Miku coming. Oh well, I would deal with Miku by myself. I straightened myself up. Before I had a chance to speak, Miku gripped my shoulders and looked down at me. I was sure that in those black shadows for eyes, there was understanding. I couldn't see it yet, but I was sure she would understand…

"Tell it to my face you idiotic, copycat, lowlife **freak**!" On this last word, Miku struck me across the cheek with such force that I was knocked to the ground, landing with a loud thump against the hard, harsh, unforgiving floor. When I opened my eyes, I noticed that little droplets of water were trailing down my face, landing softly on the floor, pooling where many gathered. Shocked, I realized that I had been slapped by none other than Miku Hatsune, Vocaloid 01 herself, and that for the first time, I cried.

I cried for being new. I cried for being slapped. I cried for being rejected by one and all.

But most of all…

I cried for being me.

/.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\./.\

The incident in the kitchen would never be forgotten. Especially by Len Kagamine. His usually tidy mane of blonde hair was disheveled, and his fingers ran through his hair more than once in worry. Of course, he tried to hide this by chatting with Kaito, his idol since he was small. Kaito answered his questions, as always. Laughed at the right times, as always. But Len could sense that something was not right. Especially since he noticed that Kaito would not look him in the eye. It seemed that the bluehead was distracted with something else. Len turned to look at the object of Kaito's attention, and found himself looking at the one and only Meiko.

Meiko was clothed in her original clothing of a dazzling red top, and skirt just high enough to be seductive but not slutty. She wore scarlet stilettos and black netting-style socks that stopped at mid-thigh. Meiko swished her short, newly pixie-styled hair and pulled her already low shirt even lower to give the boys a full view of her round breasts. Kaito felt some action _down there_, and headed for Meiko. As she strutted away from Miki's study and up the stairs, she felt a sense of triumph. _I've got him. Now all I have to do is give him what he wants. Stupid Miki-girl is taking away _my_ rightful boyfriend. I'll get him back, though. Just you wait. _

As Len had expected, Kaito and Meiko headed upstairs, and he was left alone, leaning on a marble pillar, waiting for his turn to visit Miki since Miku had slapped her. Finally, the oak door leading to Miki's study creaked open, and a tearful Teto came out. With her dark pink ringlets bouncing around, Teto hugged Len strongly and looked around, frowning. Sniffing, she asked, "Hey, I thought *_sniff_* Kaito was out here." Len replied that he had just left with Meiko, that maybe he could come in instead. Teto nodded and gestured towards the open door.

_Creeeeeak…_

Miki was really pretty, Len knew. No wonder Kaito had fallen for her – anyone would. He stepped closer to her, afraid to wake her up. Len suddenly had the courage to take her hand in his and imagined holding it while they walked together in the garden towards the intricately colored gazebo that Gakupo had made for the Mansion. There, they would… Blushing, Len reached out to brush a strand of hair from Miki's forehead, but instead let his hand hover over her face. His hand drew back. For now, he would only watch from the sidelines. One day, though, he would surely tell Miki how he felt about her… Right?

"He loves me…" Miki whispered, smiling. Len was startled at hearing her voice in sleep. Who was she talking about?, he wondered. Len held perfectly still, and waited for the girl to continue. Miki took a deep breath and her poem began again, her voice clear as wind chimes and yet soft as rose petals during a starry night.

"He loves me,

He has the key

To my heart.

Gold hair, river eyes

Can he not be mine?

I love him,

My heart sings

Of love.

I am yours.

Yet we are apart,

By sunset, then dark.

By dawn, he has disappeared,

Forever from my heart and memory.

Can he not be mine..?"


	9. Len's List

Chapter Nine

Some time had passed after that night, and Len tried to convince himself that he would eventually, (cough, sometime in the FAR future) possibly eat dinner with Miki – just the two of them. Len immediately colored at the thought. He would never have the nerve to ask Miki out on a date. Inwardly sighing and scolding himself, he decided to go to the only dependable love expert he knew; his sister.

The Kagamine's room was yellow, and every time anyone other than the twins came in, they were always blinded by the bright wallpaper. The twins slept in a bunk bed, Rin at the top (she had claimed it when they first came into their new room), and Len at the bottom. Both had buttery-colored bedsheets and white undercovers. This was where the similarities ended. Len's bottom half of the bunk bed had stickers of bananas all around on the yellow wallpaper. An old dartboard sat slightly askew at the head of his bed, all seven darts in the bulls-eye. (The other three Len had lost. Or, rather, Rin had hidden them as an April Fool's joke – and never found them.) Of course, Len hadn't done that. He'd just stuck them in there for safekeeping. Rin's top bunk was decorated in oranges, and a huge poster of Rin took up most of her wall space. Obviously. The rest of the room was covered in at least two layers of clothing. Stepping through the maze of garments, Len caught sight of one of Rin's orange, lacy, push-up bras. Len blushed and hurried along. When he had seen it, he'd had an image of Miki wearing it. He'd never felt that… way before.

Len shook the image out of his head, and climbed up the ladder where halfway up, there was a sign stating "KEEP OUT!" The honey-blonde ignored it, as always, and knocked tentatively on Rin's bedframe. His twin had been humming to one of their favorite Luka-Gaku songs, "Go Google It." Seeing him on her ladder, she turned off the music, put down her headphones and swatted him on the arm playfully.

"What? I thought you were downstairs." Scrutinizing Len, the girl patted her messy bedspread for him to sit down. As soon as he was settled, Rin began to question him, CSI style.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, afraid his sister wasn't going to take him seriously. Rin Kagamine crossed her arms and looked him in the eyes. Hard.

"The Love Doctor can't help if you lie." Len sighed and gazed at their gold-orange-yellow LavaLamp across the room.

"Alright, alright, no more Love Doctor. Len, I'm your sister! You can tell me anything. Who is it? Please, Len. Tell me." Len looked into his twin's pleading eyes. She really wanted to help, but what if it was a charade? No, Rin wouldn't be THAT cruel. Before he lost his nerve, Len looked her right into her blue eyes and said,

"It's M-Miki." He inwardly cursed himself for stuttering. He sounded so immature when he did that. Rin's eyes widened, and she leaned in closer to Len, smiling.

"You have a crush on Miki?" In response, Len offered an almost inconceivable nod. This was Rin's specialty. Next she would say what she always said.

"ALRIGHT! Len has a crush, Len has a crush! WOOHOO!" Rin covered her mouth when she say Len's dirty stare. Giggling a little bit, she scribbled down a list for him and sent him off. Only after he was safely down on the floor did Len open the folded piece of paper.

Get to know her better

Spend time with her

Sit next to her

Understand her

Hold hands! 3

Confess you have a crush on her

Invite her to dinner, just the two of you, and KISS! Mwah!

Len frowned at numbers five, six and seven. Especially seven. The blonde boy told himself to toughen up, and not to worry. They would be easy! He could do this. Alright, here went number one – get to know her better Len hoped and prayed for the best. When would he start? Ah, tomorrow! When Miki would get her own room.

There was one thing, though. One very important thing that Len had forgotten in his plan (or, rather, Rin's). He had competition. Len had an opponent. A certain blue-haired boy that was his role-model.

Kaito.


	10. Gumi's Grief

Gumi's Grief

Miki is looking out of her bedroom window; her long lashes a slightly darker hue than her reddish-pink hair. Frost lightly compliments the sheet of glass in front of her, the only thing separating her from the fresh, crisp morning outside. Miki absentmindedly places her hand on the glass and closes her eyes, feeling the cold seep into her fingers, her palm. The girl takes a step away from it, leaving the fading imprint of her hand on the cool window. She seems to yearn for something. Sighing, the girl turns the doorknob and steps out of the room, leaving behind the bittersweet taste of a forgotten memory, a searching soul yearning to remember.

_A few weeks later_

Excitement was in the air. The residents of the VM had been working on Miki's room for a long time, making everything just right. Well, everyone except for Miku.

The tealette is in the Recording Room at the moment, with her faithful minion Gumi by her side. Miku breaks off in the middle of the chorus of "World is Mine," placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at Gumi, who is by the controls, nodding her head in time to the music she's listening to. The chic goggles on her head wobble and slip down the girl's head, but Gumi ignores the movement and hums right along.

"What do you think you're doing, Megumi Poid?" Miku hisses the words out, dangerous as a snake. Poor Gumi, oblivious to Miku's steely glare, keeps right on singing along to Luka's newest song, "Witch Hunt," watching the video on her iPod. Miku, exasperated, walks right up to Gumi and rips the ear buds out of her ears, leaving Gumi confused and angry.

"What was that for?" Gumi crossed her arms. The tealette walked right up to Gumi's face and sneered,

"You'll never be as successful as me, Gumi." Miku continued without mercy. "I was the first Vocaloid. I haven't told you this before, Gumi, but I think you deserve to know. Remember when the Creators thought you were so pretty and innocent and _charming -_" Miku spat the last word – "well, I bet you didn't know this. You were a _mistake_. The Creators didn't even want you in the first place." The tealette backed away, arms crossed, pigtails swinging and an ugly smirk on her face. The green haired teen, usually so upbeat and happy, sunk lower into her chair, biting back tears of shame and resentment. Miku closed in around Gumi, her face an ugly mask power and indifference to other people's feelings. "It's the truth, Gumi. I don't lie." The goggled girl ran out of the room, barely able to contain her sobs. The Gumi everyone knew would never back down from Miku like this.

The Gumi everyone knew would have stood up for herself.

No matter how much Miku said that was true, the real Gumi would have never believed her.

But the truth was, the real Gumi had disappeared.

The real Gumi had cried bitterly.

And the real Gumi had believed

every

word.


	11. What Friends R 4

Her tears were cold by the time she came to us. I had been in Lily's room at the time, quietly listening to her rant about Neru's sudden obsession with Oliver. The door had slammed open, and a silence as thick as midnight fog swept over the room where there had been a buzzing conversation only moments before. Lily had put her hands on her hips, her heels muted by the thick sunshine-colored carpet. Finally getting close enough to Gumi to see her tear-stained face, Lily's watery eyes widened, and she embraced the sniffling girl. They stood like that long enough that I felt uncomfortable standing off to the sidelines and sat Gumi down on Lily's bed, quietly assessing the damage.

"Oh, Gumi... What happened?" She shook her head weakly, wiping her cheeks. Lily offered her one of her own designer tissues, a sunshine yellow, matching her blonde hair. Gumi took it, the traces of a grateful smile lingering on her lips. The girl sighed shakily, twirling a stray hair around her polished finger. We waited for what seemed like hours, and finally, she spoke. Lily's eyes narrowed, eager for revenge. Tears burned in my eyes, silently sympathizing, but I kept them under control for Gumi's sake.

"I'm sorry you have to s-see me like this." She took a deep breath and continued, not giving us enough time to comfort her. "It's just Miku, you know how she is. It's not important." Lily didn't buy any of it.

"Don't lie, Gumi. It's more than you're letting on, we both know it is. You never let anyone see you cry." Gumi looked the blonde straight in the eye, her own hard. Lily didn't blink. I fidgeted.

"No, it isn't, Lily. I'm human too. I just came here because I didn't know where else to go. Now I realize that it was a mistake." She stood up to go, smoothing her skirt and polishing her goggles casually. Lily grabbed her arm.

Gumi straightened, and her head turned away from Lily's pleading face. It broke Lily's heart, I knew, to be labeled an unworthy friend. It was one of her most well-known traits. Lily was a fierce friend that would stand up for everyone. Friends like her were few and far between, and I knew Gumi was lucky to have her as one of her closest. "I'm sorry, Lily. I shouldn't have said that." Lily waved it off, but tears were visible in her aqua eyes.

"Whatever, it's okay. Just tell me what happened." Gumi nodded, her eyes evading Lily's watery ones. And so Gumi began to speak.

She poured her heart out to us that day. We laughed, we cheered, and we cried bitterly throughout her heart-wrenching tale. We all knew this was difficult for proud Gumi - to show her weaknesses like this required true bravery and unwavering trust. I had never known that someone could go through so much and still keep it bottled up inside. Lily asked her friend if she had a diary, and said it would help. Gumi shook her head, alarmed, replying that someone could get ahold of it, and no one would see her as the same fearless Gumi again. We vowed to each other that we would tell no one of Gumi's private life and secrets, and we would keep that promise no matter what happened. Then Lily told her own secrets to us, about how she had always had feelings for Kaito but was too shy to let them shine.

"Shy? Lily, you're like, the freakin' opposite! Ask him out!" Gumi encouraged. I watched on, and then asked a question. I tapped Gumi on the shoulder.

"Doesn't the boy ask the girl out, Gumi?" A moment of silence hung in the air.

I expected Lily and Gumi to agree with me.

I expected them to correct themselves.

I expected Kaito to ask Lily out, not the other way around.

I expected everything but... _this_.

Lily snorted. Gumi chuckled.

And then it was a full-fledged laugh-a-fest, with me humiliated beyond belief and Lily and Gumi enjoying my confusion to the fullest extent and further. Tears streamed down their rosy faces as I stood, still clueless. I didn't think it could be so amusing to ask that little question, but it appeared it was. After the girls had _finally_ controlled themselves enough to actually speak a few words before bursting into helpless laughter, they explained the situation to me. Our conversation was seared into my mind.

"Omigosh, Miki! That's ridiculous!" Lily laughed again, clutching her stomach.

"You're hilarious, Miki, honestly!" Gumi shook her head at me, giving my hair a fond ruffle and wiping the tears of full-out laughter from her eyes.

"No, really. Doesn't the boy ask the girl out?" I eyed the girls, assessing their reaction. I cocked my head to the side, thinking. This time, I repeated myself, more firmly. "Doesn't he?" I insisted.

"Welcome to the 21st century, girl!" Gumi and Lily smacked a high five. I waited, genuinely confused.

"Sweetie, we're not in prehistoric times!" The two giggled as if sharing a private joke. And, I thought, they kind of were.

"Listen. Alright, we can ask guys out now. It's not, like, a sacred rule or anything. Yeah?" I nodded, unsure, but hoping that I would understand in time. Besides a few snickers afterwards, the subject was dropped and we moved on. We talked about different things, like how annoying Kaito was, and other girl things.

And, in that moment, I knew that Gumi and Lily were on my side, and that I could truly depend on them for whatever I needed. Maybe even boy problems. I bit my lip, but decided to keep quiet for now. I couldn't trust them just yet.

Not yet, but soon...


End file.
